In polite society, money is a taboo topic. You don’t ask friends how much they pay for rent, and you’re not supposed to discuss how much you earn. However, in recent years, more people are arguing that politeness comes at a cost: namely, we’re all really terrible at money because we’re afraid to talk about it.

I’m totally on board with this notion, but I’m also a hypocrite. I don’t necessarily like openly discussing how much I make, and I still cringe when someone asks what I pay in rent. When I think about it, I suppose part of it is that I’m worried they’ll judge or think differently of me, so my gut reaction is that my finances are none of their business. Should they be? And is financial transparency always a good thing?

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That’s more or less the question I’d like to pose: how open are you about money? Do you feel comfortable openly discussing your salary, how much you charge clients, the cost of your mortgage, and so on? Why or why not? Let’s discuss the taboo of money, whether you think it’s holding us back, or you think there’s a reason for it.